Science Fiction Though the Decades

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

1997: The Civilisation Game (Simak, Clifford D.)

Heavy on speculation in dialogue,
light on wrapping it all up (3/5)

Among Clifford D. Simak’s
plethora of twenty-two short story collections, seven collections were
published after his death in 1988. These posthumous publication contain stories
from Simak’s career spanning from 1932 to 1981—his entire career, actually. The
Civilisation Game and Other Stories (1997) is one such posthumous
publication of Simak’s short stories and contains stories from 1939 to 1969.

I won’t provide much analysis or
commentary of this collection as I did with Strangers in the Universe.
This collection is wittier or playful, at times, than Strangers’
thoughtful reflections on human inadequateness. Largely, with the exception of “The
Big Front Yard”, the stories are flat and uninspiring, lacking any oomph to
propel them to stardom. There are some smiles and snickers but also periods of
protraction which felt like Simak was stretching the plot to infinite thinness
with the characters’ conjecturing and speculation, namely “Hunch” which had an
agonizing series of assumptions.

Even the conclusions of nearly
every story felt unprepared, almost like an afterthought—plot elements didn’t
tie together the end was merely a grasp for something outré or unique. Most
simply fizzled at the end.

------------

Horrible Example (shortstory, 1961)
– 3/5 – Tobias is the town drunkard—“so low-down and despicable and disgusting”
(13). Unbeknownst to the entire town save for the school janitor, Tobias is
actually a robot designated by the Society for the Advancement and Betterment
of the Human Race so that no other citizen could sink down to that level. His
excellence at his duty and recent heroic behavior deter his own advancement in
heading an interplanetary colony… or did it?

The Civilisation Game
(novelette, 1958) – 3/5 – Humanity has colonized the stars but have forgotten
their roots back on Earth. However, some still call Earth home and keep alive
the ancient traditions so that they are never forgotten. Paxton practices
politics yet is uncaring for his recent ascent to the presidency. His unscrupulous
methods have pushed his opponent to the use of assassination. The only human
tool to face this threat is that of war.

Hermit of Mars (novelette,
1939) – 3/5 – Kent and Charley know the Martian hills better than anyone and
even know the savage instincts of the local Eaters and Hounds. One night, amid
the creatures, they find a solo traveler on a quest for the expert guidance to
Mad-Man’s Canal in order to visit the mythical hermit named Henry. The two
scoff at her naivety but sympathize with her ignorance, so they lead her
through the valleys to the realm of the ever-vague Ghosts.

Masquerade (novelette, 1941) – 4/5
– The four-man Mercutian Power Centre, led by Curt Craig, is host to Washington
crony Page, a mischievous cat named Mathilde, and a score of human-mimicking
Candles which are native to the planet of Mercury. During a space warp caused
by the sun’s enormous strain, Craig discovers Page’s secret intention on
capturing one of the pure energy lifeforms known as Candles. The tense
atmosphere is ratcheted up when behaviors change in the Centre.

Buckets of Diamonds (novelette,
1969) – 3/5 – Old Uncle George is in a bind again. After having a few beers and
watching the Yankees play the Twins in the seventh inning with Mickey Mantle up
to bat, George loses his memory and is found in the middle of the road with a
bucket of diamonds, a famous painting and a handful of unexplainable items. His
son-in-law lawyer takes his side while George is in jail, yet George can’t be
charged with theft is nothing is reported stolen… then George disappears from
the jail.

Hunch (novelette, 1943) – 2/5 –
Chambers is a blind man without a handicap thanks to a telepathic entity he
calls Hannibal, found on the outskirts of the Mars system—it’s entirely one of
a kind. It helps him to see and takes a certain liking to Chamber’s friend
Kemp. Some curious goings-on at the Sanctuary, an orbital asylum for
mentally-diseased spacemen, has both Chambers and Hannibal astir. Once there in
its revelations, the myth of the war-like fifth planet rears its head.

The Big Front Yard (novella,
1958) – 5/5 – Hiram Taine makes ends meet in his century-old ancestral home in
Willow Bend. With his occasionally batty dog Towser, Hiram repairs electronics
and sells antiques. The task of repairing a black and white TV becomes simple
when it repairs itself as a color TV, thanks to an unexplainable impenetrable
translucent ceiling in his basement. Later, he also discovers his stove and
radio are also mysteriously upgraded. A door to another world opens in his
kitchen and the military becomes interested.

1 comment:

"Even the conclusions of nearly every story felt unprepared, almost like an afterthought—plot elements didn’t tie together the end was merely a grasp for something outré or unique. Most simply fizzled at the end."

That describes many Simak stories I've read; he can come up with great ideas, and writes pretty well. But sometimes one of his works has an abrupt shift near the end: the point where Simak realized he didn't have an exit strategy, and latched onto the first thing he thought of.